Horsetails are generally small "strange" looking plants. They grow from
perennial creeping
rhizomes, from which grow a single hollow, jointed
stem, with bristle-like branches growing from the joints.
Horsetails reproduce by means of
spores. The spores are contained in small cones at the tips of the stem or its branches, or sometimes on a separate stalk in the spring.
In prehistoric times, some plants of this family grew to be large trees.
Fossil records show that at one time there were horsetails in New Zealand but they have long since died out. Unfortunately
Equisetum arvense has been reintroduced in recent times and is now considered to be a weed pest.